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IPS is starting to roll out general upgrade information directly in the ACP Dashboard to prepare admins for the upgrade to v5. It's a good warning about major changes and deprecations, so you're not surprised.

And just when we thought 4.7 was feature frozen because all of the work is being committed to v5, IPS surprises us with Report Center improvements. My personal favorite of this feature update is that you can create email templates, to notify the user who reported the content of the resolution. Was the content actually investigated? Was the content actually removed? Invision Community 4: A more professional report center - Invision Community - Invision Community

From Feverbee / Richard Millington One of my personal critiques about this Maslow-inspired hierarchy is that it presumes you must always build your community in layer by layer. Communities can actually focus on any one of those layers on its own merits, but your circle of impact will become much tighter and more focused.

Angela Jin, former Head of Programs & Contributor Experience at Automattic, reflects on her departure from Automattic and the WordPress community, expressing concern over the recent changes to the WordPress Code of Conduct, which she believes can be weaponized against community members. https://angelasjin.com/2024/10/21/on-community-code-of-conducts/

Hi, I am Dilip, been running forums and blogs for around 15 years now. Somewhere around 2010, I started learning graphics to meet my needs for Logos, Banners, custom emojis, node icons, simple animated videos and more. Been offering graphics services since ~ 2015 I do a decent 2D and some 3D as well. You can check the Showcase thread on my forum for some recent works I made this video to promote my services this Holiday season Feel free to ping me if you have any graphics needs. Will do my best to give you the best possible image / video.

https://preview.invisionalpha5.com/topic/202-alpha-16-released-beta-next-week/ Four months of alphas and 16 releases. IPS considers their beta release to be more like an early release candidate with the amount of work they've put in to alpha.

Hello Everyone, I am currently setting up my forum and looking for some well built IPS4 deployments that could serve as design and implementation inspiration. If you could kindly point me to some well done IPS4 communities, I would appreciate it a lot.

Want to encourage positive behavior in your online community? Great incentives can boost engagement, but it's easy for reward systems to go off track. The key is to keep things simple and think ahead. Economist Steven Levitt suggests creating straightforward incentives that are tough to game. Before launching a reward, try to imagine how someone might exploit it—then tweak your plan to avoid those traps. One fun approach is to include real-life “easter eggs” in your community interactions—little surprises or rewards for those who go above and beyond or find clever ways around challenges. This not only keeps things engaging but adds personality to your community. How …

Ever tried to fix a problem, only to realize your solution made things worse? That’s the Cobra Effect in action. The term comes from a story in colonial India, where a bounty for dead cobras led to people farming cobras instead. When the bounty was canceled, they released the snakes, and the problem got even worse. The Cobra Effect is all about how rewards or incentives can backfire. For online communities, it’s easy to see how this can happen. Think about offering incentives for user engagement—like rewards for posting frequently. Suddenly, you might find users spamming the forums with low-quality posts just to earn those points. Or, what if a new rule to reduce neg…

In 2018, KFC’s UK stores ran out of chicken—yeah, you read that right. Instead of ignoring the blunder, they issued a bold, funny apology by rearranging their logo to spell exactly what you’d say when you run out of chicken. It was a great example of the Pratfall Effect, where admitting a mistake makes a brand more likable if they already have a good reputation. This move turned a potential PR disaster into a story people loved. For online communities, mistakes are inevitable. Maybe a glitch messes with user posts, or an update doesn’t go as planned. How can community managers apply the Pratfall Effect to earn forgiveness and even strengthen their community bond? Sho…

Netflix has made some big changes recently, like cracking down on password sharing and offering an ad-supported plan. But these changes have tested their customers’ loyalty. It turns out that when users feel they’re losing something—like the ability to share accounts or the ad-free experience—they react strongly. This ties into a psychological concept called Loss Aversion, where the pain of losing something feels twice as strong as the joy of gaining something new. Even when Netflix's cheaper plan came along, many users resisted. Why? Because giving up ad-free streaming felt like a step back, even if it saved a few dollars. Online communities face similar challenges.…

What can online communities learn from Netflix’s success? It turns out, a lot. Netflix didn't just rise to the top by offering endless content; they leaned into psychology to keep people coming back for more. Here are three key takeaways: Personalization as a Competitive Edge: Netflix’s success is built on creating a unique experience for every user. Using a concept called the Cocktail Party Effect, they make each member feel like the platform is made just for them. Online communities can do the same—tailor the experience, understand what topics or content your users are drawn to, and make them feel seen. How can we better personalize our interactions with com…

As more organizations begin to experiment with Generative AI (GenAI), community managers and professionals find themselves in a unique position. While many have used AI personally, integrating it into the daily workflow of community management is still far from mainstream. What’s holding us back? Our current situation is one of trial and error, with most professionals experimenting with GenAI but not fully embracing it yet. The key hurdles? A lack of expertise Challenges in integrating GenAI with existing technologies Ongoing legal concerns. But as major enterprise platform vendors prepare to unveil their GenAI features, the question remains…

Building a transactional community—where members come to solve a problem and leave—can feel like the simplest option for online community managers. These communities address an immediate need, like answering product-related questions, which makes them easier to launch and grow. But does every brand community need to follow this model? Transactional communities thrive because they cater to users seeking quick, no-nonsense solutions. However, building a community around interests, goals, or identity requires more time, effort, and persuasion. These types of communities don't just solve problems; they build lasting connections, foster engagement, and align with users’ l…

Not all online communities are meant for deep engagement or long-lasting relationships. Many, like Microsoft Answers, exist solely to solve a specific problem quickly and efficiently. If you're building or managing a transactional community, where the goal is to answer questions and move on, it's essential to embrace this model fully. In these spaces, people are not looking for friendships or ongoing discussions; they just need a solution to a problem, such as fixing an issue in Excel. A well-organized transactional community aligns everything toward one goal: helping members find answers fast. For instance, a community’s name, tagline, and calls to action should mak…

The traditional approach to building online communities—one that assumes nothing existed before—has long been outdated. In a digital landscape where ecosystems are thriving with existing communities, organizations launching new forums often overlook one key fact: their potential audience already has options. When this traditional model was developed, there wasn’t much competition, and brand-led communities dominated the space, offering better functionality than their amateur counterparts. However, today’s reality is different. In a world where anyone can quickly build an engaging community experience, how can organizations compete with existing, user-preferred platfo…

As online communities continue to grow, many organizations still follow an outdated playbook focused on control rather than connection. Too often, organizations prioritize their own needs—such as clear goals, measurable metrics, and controllable platforms—over the desires of their community members. But is this really the best approach? What if we shifted to a member-centric model? This would involve putting the needs and experiences of community members first, even if it means less control for the organization. After all, whether members are engaging on hosted forums or independent platforms like Reddit, the results—whether it's increased loyalty, shared best practi…

When we think about growing our online community, it’s easy to focus on individual contributions—like posts, likes, and badges. But what if we shifted our focus to building collective social memory instead? Collective social memory is the idea that a community's identity and strength come from shared experiences and knowledge, not just individual achievements. This means that instead of everyone seeking personal recognition, we create a space where the community remembers and grows together. Think of it like a group story, where everyone adds a chapter, and those chapters form the identity of the whole community. By focusing on collective memory, we can build a …

IPS 5.0 comes packed with so many changes, from the new editor, dark mode theme, page builder, to Helpful. What one feature are you looking to use right away?

A story Have you ever noticed how sometimes less is more when it comes to communication? Edward Everett, once the greatest orator of his time, delivered a two-hour speech at Gettysburg in 1863. But it's Abraham Lincoln’s two-minute, 272-word Gettysburg Address that we all remember. This story highlights a key lesson: brevity matters. In building an online community, it's easy to think that more words or longer posts will make a greater impact. But in reality, carefully chosen, concise messages often resonate more deeply. How can we apply the lesson of brevity to our own forum and communications? Are there areas where we might be overwhelming our…

Google's recent announcement to maintain third-party cookies in Chrome has left many marketers and community managers re-evaluating their strategies. While some see this as a win for the status quo, it's crucial to recognize that the digital landscape is still shifting towards a more privacy-conscious future. For online communities, this means that relying solely on third-party data for targeting and personalization will become increasingly unsustainable. Community managers need to leverage this period as an opportunity to strengthen first-party data strategies. Focus on building trust and fostering deeper connections with your community members to encourage them to …